Agitator for washing machines



May 13 1924.

G. W. LEWIS AGITATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Sept. 18

Patented li/llay 13, 1924.

:UNHEQ STATE-S PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. LEWIS, O'F GRINN ELL, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO GRINNELL WASHING MACHINE COMPANY, OF GRINNELL, IOWA.

AGITATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES.

Application filed September 18, 1923. Serial No. 663,443.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, GEORGE W. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Grinnell, in the county of Poweshiek and the State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Agitator for Washing Ma chines, of which the following is a speci fication.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved agitator for washing machines of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

More specifically it is the object of my invention to provide an agitatorfor washing machines constructed of a single piece of material such as cast aluminum, and so arranged that when the agitator is oscillated within the washing machine, a maximum amount of agitation will be imparted to the clothing and to the water, and so constructed and arranged that it will not tangle the clothes.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of my improved agitator; and

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

My improved agitator comprises a hub portion 10 formed cylindrical and provided at one end with a recess 11. The hub 10 is provided with a longitudinal opening 12 in which is mounted the agitator shaft 13 designed to rest normally in a vertical position, and to be agitated by any of the well known mechanisms.

My improved agitator is designed to be used in that type of washing machines in which the agitator shaft is rotated through a partial revolution and then reversed, giving an oscillating movement to the agitator.

The shaft 13 is secured in position by means of a pin 14 and a key 15. The lower end of the hub 10 is provided with a horizontally arranged disk 16 provided with a series of downwardly extending agitator blades 17 arranged in a radial manner relative to the center line of the shaft 13, and cast integral with the disk 16. The inner edge of each of the blades 17 is inclined downwardly and outwardly, while the outer edge of each of the blades 17 is provided with circular and oppositely extending flanges 18. The said flanges 18 terminate in the periphery of the disk 16, and perform several functions. It will be seen that they add considerably to the strength of the blades 17 on account of their diverging arrangement relative to said blades, forming rigid means for holding the blades 17 against rearward movement or forward movement while the disk 16 is being oscillated.

The practical operation of the device is somewhat as follows:

Assuming that the agitator is placed within the tub in the position shown in Figure 2, and that the shaft 13 is rotated a partial revolution and then reversed, the said operation continuing, and that the blades 17 have been immersed in the water and the clothes therein, and assuming that the agitator is rotated in' an anti-clockwise direction as shown in Figure 1, it will be seen that each of the blades will engage some of the clothes and be brought into engagement with the water, the water in front of the blades being agitated and moved forwardly and caused to move inwardly toward the center and around the inner edges of the blades 17.

It will be seen that in the space back of each of the blades 17 there will be a partial vacuum created and some of the water which travels inwardly around the inner edge of the blade 17 will travel into the said partial vacuum, the said partial vacuum also being filled by currents traveling in behind the rearwardly extending flanges 18. This vacuum will be quite well established due to the fact that a sort of concave pocket is formed on the front face of the blades 17, due to the fact that the blades are arranged radially and the flanges 1b are arranged curved and terminating substantially in a plane at right angles to the blades 17. The cup formed by the junction of the flange and the blade have a tendency to carry a large portion of the water forwardly.

After the currents have been somewhat established as above described, the shaft 13 is reversed and the water is piled up and excessively agitated after this reverse movement takes place. The said agitation has a tendency to agitate the clothes and to loosen the dirt, the agitation of the water having a tendency to carry the loose dirt from out of the clothes, and to also form a suds in the water which further assists in. extracting and removing the dirt.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an agitator of simple, durable and inexpensive construction which is very strong and which will not Warp or contract, which is a very common thing to that type of agitators formed of wood. By providing the blades 17 constructed as described and of a considerable width, I have provided means whereby the clothes will not be easily torn due to the fact that the power is imparted to a comparatively large surface of the clothes rather than the concentrated points as is the case with what is known as the pin dolly in quite common use. The recess 11 forms a sort of pocket which assists in collecting any dirt or sediment which might enter the shaft opening.

It will further be seen that by providing the agitator of a single piece of non-corrosive metal with its members cast integral, I have provided an agitator which will not have any screws or nails in its make-up to rust and cause the clothes to be stained thereby.

I claim as my invention:

1. An agitator for Washing machines com prising a disk having a central hub and a series of laterally extending blades, the said blades being arranged radially with the center of the said disk, and each having its inner edge inclined downwardly and outwardly and its outer edge provided with diverging circular flanges, all of said parts being castintegral.

2. An agitator for washing machines comprising a metallic disk having a centrally located hub mounted perpendicular to the center of one of its faces, said hubhaving its outer end provided with a longitudinally extending opening, the opposite face of said disk being provided with laterally extending blades, said blades being arranged radially with the center of said dislneach of said blades having its outer edge provided with curved and diverging flanges.

3. An agitator for washing machines comprising a disk, means for mounting the said disk to an agitator shaft, the shaft extending centrally through said disk and at right angles thereto, said disk having one of its faces provided with a series of laterally extending blades, said blades being arranged in a radial manner with the center of said shaft, the outer edge of each of said blades being provided with curved and diverging flanges, said disk and said blades and flanges being formed integral.

Des Moines, Iowa, August 7 1923.

GEORGE W. LEVIS. 

